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T O P I C R E V I E W

spacecowboy

Lovell's of Lake Forest is a great place to see some space memorabilia, also has the painting "Steeds of Apollo." Very pricey and food is okay.

915 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest, Illinois847-234-8013

Richard Jackson

I ate at Lovell's of Lake Forest Tuesday evening, Oct. 24, 2000. Very enjoyable but as was said "pricey".

I enjoyed the pictures and memorabilia. Jim Lovell was out of town but I met his son, he was very nice!

spaceheaded

This past January we drove to Chicago to visit a niece at Northwestern. At least that's why my wife was going along. I was out for a good meal at Lovell's of Lake Forest. It's a fine restaurant. Kind of expensive (but our check was only half as much as a John Young signature). I had hopes of meeting Capt. Lovell and, sure enough, he and Marilyn popped in just as we had finished our dinner and were getting up to check out the memorabilia. Our party of five chatted with him for a few minutes and then he moved on with his rounds. I found out later (from his secretary) that we were quite lucky -- he had just gotten back that day, after six weeks out of town!

Later, when we were downstairs in the 'Captain's Quarters' where the main display case is located, he and Marilyn came down and were seated for dinner at a table adjacent to the display. I could've interrupted with a question or comment, but I didn't.

Later, my 16-year-old daughter asked, "That was the real Marilyn Lovell?" Cracked me up... all she knows about is the movie.

It was a great evening.

Aztecdoug

I stopped in for dinner about two years ago when I was in the area on business. It was a Monday night. I walked in the front door, and Capt. Lovell was standing right there in front of the bar, with a glass of wine in his hand. Above the bar framing his stance was the giant "Steeds of Apollo" painting. Capt. Lovell reached out to me, shook my hand and stated, Hi, I am Jim Lovell, welcome to Lovells.

The menu is on-line, so you can be the judge of the prices. While it isn't something I would budget every night, I thought it was quite appropriate for the level of service and the food.

I ate the Trio of Lamb, Veal and Filet Medallions with Flageolet Bean Vegetable Stew. I thought it was pretty good.

For desert I had the Créme Brulee. Now that was world class. It was the best Créme Brulee I have ever had. Period.

Later during the dinner Capt. Lovell walked around the room greeting all of the people having dinner, and asked them how they were enjoying themselves.

My impression was that he looked like a round peg in a round hole in his role at the restaurant.

So, yes, I have eaten at Lovells. Yes, I enjoyed it, and yes I would eat there again, even if it didn't have such a distinguished connection.

Larry McGlynn

I dined at Lovell's last time I was in Chicago. No Jim Lovell though.

The food was American neuveau cusine and very good. It was a tenderloin and the presentation was excellent.

The restaurant itself is a marvelous place. You walk in the door and the first thing you see is a mahogany bar with the "Steeds of Apollo" mural over the bar. It is beautiful.

The upstairs is well designed and quite comfortable, but it is the downstairs where the space junkie goes. There is a wood paneled room downstairs filled with leather furniture. When you enter the room you pass between four foot tall models of the Saturn V and the N1. One side of the room is walled with glass cabinets that are filled with artifacts for Lovell's missions.

The room itself is has a bronze statue of Lovell on a table and the fireplace mantle has his Harmon and Collier Trophies mounted on it. I could have stayed there all night.

I met Jim Lovell at Kim Poor's several months later. We talked about the restaurant and I joked with him that I tried to stuff the Collier Trophy down my pants on the way out. He told me that is why they bolted it to the mantle.

It will be worth your while to head to the restaurant. The food is hot and the artifacts are cool.

divemaster

Whenever I'm in Chicago for more than 24 hours, I make a beeline for Lovells. Excellent, all around. Best martini menu on the planet, too!

mmmoo

quote:Originally posted by Larry McGlynn:You walk in the door and the first thing you see is a mahogany bar with the "Steeds of Apollo" mural over the bar. It is beautiful.

I asked Capt. Lovell about the "Steeds of Apollo" mural, it turns out that it was a gift from Tom Hanks!

Duke Of URL

Does Capt. Lovell keep a schedule for appearing at the restaurant?

Robert Pearlman

The restaurant's website offers a chance to e-mail Capt. Lovell, where you could inquire as to his planned availability.

kyra

Wow! I was born and raised 30 minutes away from Lovell's, but had moved to Colorado before he went into business.

I will definitely visit him next time I'm in the area.

Capt. Lovell does have a bit of a Chicago accent that to me is familiar and charming.

Gilbert

I've had dinner at Lovell's twice. Both times the food and service were excellent. The waiter told Lovell's son (the chef) that a space geek was in the restaurant so Lovell Jr. came out and talked to me for a while. The cigar/martini room downstairs is better than some museums I've been in. I highly recommend the place, traffic or not.

lm5eagle

Well worth the visit to see Lumen Winter's "Steeds of Apollo" - in addition to the great food, of course.

Gazebo News of Lake Forest reports that the Lovell family is seeking to sell Lovell's of Lake Forest.

The restaurant will continue taking reservations as long as the doors are open. Should the building sell, [Susan] Lovell promises to give customers and the community as much notice as possible, so that long-standing reservations and gift cards can be honored. But, she emphasizes, there is no buyer, and it may a month or a year before the building sells. And even if the building does sell, the hope is that the new buyer will continue to run the restaurant.

...according to Jim Lovell, the decision to sell was made with the family's best interests at heart.

"Because I'm getting older, and they're all spread out, and Jay, who runs the restaurant is getting older, too, they decided to … feel around to see if there is an interest in the property," said Lovell.

Ideally, the family would like to find a local buyer or group of buyers interested in continuing to run the restaurant and maintain it as a local landmark.

The article notes Jay Lovell is in the process of building a new restaurant called Jay Lovell's, which is billed as a smaller, more casual establishment.